"Many twentieth-century critics have been willing to admit that Shakespeare'sdepiction of the self in the Sonnets is historically specific, but most of theirinterpretations assume that this self is either unique or at least highly distinctive. Iam challenging this assumption. Drawing on works such as Thomas Wright'sPassions of the Minde in General , Ficino's De Triplici Vita, and other medical textsof the period, I explore the Sonnets as part of a larger body of work on the statusand value of the passions. I focus in particular on the way Shakespeare connectsthe subject positions of the three main characters (young man, dark lady, andpoet) with their humoral bodies. Many have struggled to assign these roles to realhistorical characters, but I argue that the three way drama of young man, youngwoman, and older poet would have been considered an appropriate subject forany Renaissance author interested in the passions. Ultimately, I want to suggestthat what is often perceived as the poems' mental pathology is really an expressionof the relationship between early modern physical regimes of health and the agingbody."

Other (non-critical) sites about Collected Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare

This site offers the full text of all of Shakespeare's sonnets, along with commentaries on each one. Take note, though, that the authorship of the commentaries is anonymous, as the site explains "As this site is intended mainly as a literary resource for students and others, it is not felt that attaching a name to the commentaries would either increase or diminish its usefulness. The Internet is not bound by the same rules as a University. If the quality of the material offered is sufficiently good, it should in time provide for the site its own authentification." The authors do also provide a list of scholarly, literary sources consulted in compiling the commentaries.

Contains: Content Analysis

Author: Oxquarry Books Ltd

Author: Oxquarry Books Ltd

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